Superman is finally here: 5 incredible films that were almost made

DC’s Superman IP has resulted in countless adaptations of the evergreen superhero in film and television since its comic inception. Starting in 1978, with Christopher Reeves’ unforgettable portrayal of humanity’s savior in Richard Donner’s Superman, the hero has been subject to many interpretations over the years. As eager fans gear up for James Gunn’s newest take on the hero in his first big screen project since taking over control of DC studios with Peter Safran in 2022, there is an overwhelming wave of optimism that Gunn will manage to restore the caped crusader to his past glory. The film releases July 11, 2025, in time for the summer blockbuster season.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's personal viewpoint, which may or may not align with the opinions of the readers. any suggestion or rectification is welcome.

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Superman continues on its torrid pre-release promotional run

The latest tidbit from Gunn’s highly anticipated film came in the form of a promotional video shared at this past weekend’s NBA All-Star Game. In it, basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal admires the iconic Superman suit while standing next to David Corenswet. The moment Shaq (who took the monacre of Superman during his playing days) seems ready to step into the costume, director James Gunn appears and introduces Corenswet as the new Superman much to the NBA legend’s dismay.

The team also posted a behind-the-scenes video containing outtakes and bloopers from the set.

This seems to coincide with the noticeably fun and lighter tone of the hero in Gunn’s vision. Many fans were put off by previous director Zack Snyder’s ultra-serious and dark depiction of the titular hero, and, significantly, Gunn and the promotional team are leaning into a slightly softer and more comedic approach.

In anticipation of the upcoming film that was mired by production issues and seismic shifts in direction up until Gunn came on board, let’s explore some of the best movies that never managed to make it to the big screen.

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Superman Lives - Tim Burton (1999)

After successfully adapting Batman to the silver screen in consecutive outings, it seemed like a no-brainer to let Tim Burton helm a unique take on Superman for modern audiences. The film began pre-production in 1996, and it was intended that Hollywood icon Nicolas Cage would play the leading role. Christopher Walken was slated to play the antagonist, Brainiac, while the role of Superman’s love interest Lois Lane was said to be portrayed by either Courtney Cox or Sandra Bullock.

Characters such as Lex Luthor and Doomsday were also to be included in the film which was eventually scrapped in 1998 due to major conflicts in creative direction. Notably, according to the film’s writer Kevin Smith, producer Jon Peters did not want Superman to fly or wear his patented red and blue costume, and further, he wanted Superman to fight a giant spider in the finale. Peters would later repurpose the arachnid for the third act of Will Smith’s universally panned Wild, Wild, West in 1999.

A documentary was subsequently released highlighting several production issues titled The Death of “Superman Lives”.

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Batman Year One - Darren Aronovsky (2000)

Christopher Nolan’s take on The Dark Knight is almost unanimously the most highly regarded iteration of the character, but Warner Brothers almost went in a vastly different direction. In 2000, news broke that Darren Aronovsky was slated to reboot the Batman franchise in a markedly grittier and darker manner. With Pi and Requiem for a Dream already under his belt, Aronovsky was to adapt the Batman: Year One storyline, based on Frank Miller’s comic arc of the same name.

This would have been Aronovsky’s first big-budget studio film, but eventually scheduling conflicts led the filmmaker to step away from the vaunted project. The studio was determined to go in a more grounded direction after the most recent interpretations were blasted for being over-the-top campy, most notably in 1997’s Batman & Robin. The rumored story was a massive departure from the source material as Bruce Wayne would have started off as a mechanic in Aronovsky’s version that will unfortunately never come to fruition.

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Star Wars Episode IX: Duel of the Fates - Colin Trevorrow (2019)

Before JJ Abrams assumed directorial responsibilities on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the studio initially had vastly different plans. The movie was initially titled Star Wars: Duel of the Fates and did not include many of the controversial plot points that held back the eventual final product including the universally panned Emperor Palpatine retcon.

The movie was to be helmed by Colin Trevorrow of Jurassic World acclaim, with an entirely different storyline. It is said that there were far larger roles in the film for John Boyega’s Finn and Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose, the second of the two was almost absent from The Rise of Skywalker (which sparked online controversy as well). Daisy Ridley’s Rey would still attempt to redeem Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, but his storyline was far grittier as he confronted the history of the Sith.

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Star Trek - Quentin Tarantino (2017)

Perhaps the biggest what-if on the entire list is Quentin Tarantino’s abandoned vision for a Star Trek movie, that was originally pitched in 2017. In talking with JJ Abrams, who rebooted the franchise in 2009, Tarantino planned to base the film on the 1968 Star Trek: The Original Series episode titled “A Piece of the Action”.

The episode in question deals with the Enterprise crew visiting a planet with a 1920s gangster culture. This seemed like it would be the perfect subject matter for Tarantino and set up perfectly for the director’s proclivity for violence, and Sergio Leone-esque ability to beautifully capture a film’s natural environment.

Ultimately, the film was scrapped due to several reasons, the chief one being that it would be Tarantino’s tenth and final film and he was hesitant for his farewell project to be part of a major franchise. Also, he feared that the story’s direction would resemble the MCU’s multiverse saga, and wanted to retain the integrity he had built up as a stand-alone auteur filmmaker.

Still, for his part, Tarantino continued to push the studio to make the film even without his involvement, even going as far as to agree to give notes on a rough take of the film. Over the years several directors have been attached to the project, but no script has made it past the early stages of development.

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The Batman - Ben Affleck (2018)

After his first outing as Batman in Zack Snyder’s 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck was originally signed on to direct, produce, co-write, and star in The Batman, a standalone film about the caped crusader that would take place in Snyder’s universe.

Many versions of the script have surfaced online, but the most compelling was a concept involving the hero fighting his rogues gallery and his inner demons, while trapped in the iconic Arkham Asylum.

Not only did this storyline ingratiate itself to avid comic book readers, but also to gamers worldwide as the asylum was the central location for Rockstar’s Batman video game franchise.

The film unfortunately hit several roadblocks beginning with the extremely troubled production of Snyder’s Justice League. On the heels of this disastrous affair, Affleck began to sour on the idea until the actor was forced to confront some heavy personal problems as well. Affleck was in the middle of a very public and stressful divorce and struggled mightily with alcoholism as a result of all these factors. In a 2020 interview with The New York Times, he shared,

"I showed somebody (The Batman) script. They said, 'I think the script is good. I also think you'll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.'"

Affleck eventually handed the project over to director Matt Reeves. The new film focused on a younger Bruce Wayne, while Affleck's version was older and more cynical after suffering at the hands of his enemies.